Cyclelogical Gear

When I first heard about the Ojai, CA -based cycling-gear producer Cyclelogical, they were in the thick of the bike trade-show season, schlepping their small but impressively focused catalogue of organic t-shirts and custom bags from Austin, TX to Seattle WA. The far-flung exhibitions, at which Cycleogical’s dedicated team of young cycling enthusiasts set up promotional booths, offered important opportunities for the fledgling company to show-off their gear.

“Austin was spectacular. Lots of traffic and interest.” Said Sami Clingan, director of marketing at Cyclelogical. The team followed their success in Texas with even greater acclaim a week later in Washington, “At the Seattle Bike Show last weekend…we received best of show.”

Clingan’s excitement and enthusiasm at the direction the company is headed is infectious, and seems to be shared by everyone who has seen what Cyclelogical is all about. Their mission statement, proudly displayed on their website, professes a deeply-felt conviction that reducing gasoline-consumption and promoting respect for cyclists as road-users is the key to our transportation future. Not new concepts, by any means, but as Sami puts it, the company just wants to show that,

“Bikes are rad and bike commuting is such an awesome concept that everyone should be doing it!”

Cyclelogical was conceived in 2008 “by a couple of guys in the basement of a tiny house in Ogden, UT” keenly adjusting to the demands of cycling in a northern-midwest winter. The company rapidly developed a range of commuter-oriented gear, including innovative bags, pouches and something they call “chopspokes”; basically slim, reflective cylindrical clips which attach to your spokes and take the place of those wide, ugly plastic reflectors most cyclists immediately remove from their bikes.

Additionally, the company developed a network of designers who came up with another product beloved of urban cyclists and hipsters: post-modern t-shirts with evocative, whimsical drawings and slogans. The t-shirts are made from 100% organic cotton. Sami Clingan sent me one such shirt so I could get a feel for the product, and I immediately fell in love with it. I am 5’10” and cycling-skinny, so most retailers’ t-shirts don’t fit me. The designers at Cycleogical seem to have taken into account the sort of frame most keen cyclists have (wiry and slim), and the t-shirt I received fits me like a glove. The organic cotton feels soft, like a well-washed shirt, and the design is really cool. Several friends complimented me when I wore it out the first time, and asked where they could get one.

Based on their early success in Austin and Seattle, and assuming the team will not sit back and rest on their laurels but rather get on with designing even more versatile and practical gear, it would be quite understandable if this attractive young company became a very serious competitor in the cycling-products market. Meanwhile, visit their website and read what they’re all about: I think most people will agree, we need more entrepreneurs with a vision like Cyclelogical.